Roof cooling device



May 22, 1951 I L. H. HOLDER ROOF COOLING DEVICE Filed April 29. 1948 4L-.. .i4 l, /7

Ai-Zorney i atented May 2 2, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT {)FFICE 2,554,409 ROOF COOLING DEVICE Leonard H. Holder, Washington, D. 0.

Application April 29, 1948, Serial No. 23,978

3 Claims.

This invention relates to roof cooling apparatus and more particularly to improvements in spray devices for supplying a restricted spray of water or the like to a roof area for the dissipation of heat by the vaporization of said water.

Apparatus and methods effective for preventing the accumulation of excessive heat in exposed roof surfaces are generally shown and described in my prior Patent No. 2,266,321, issued December 16, 1941. The apparatus and methods dis-- closed in said patent have been found to be efiicient and have been widely utilized in numerous installations throughout the country. The present improvement in said system is concerned primarily with the construction of the spray devices. If the spray devices shown in my prior patent should become clogged with impurities, which may be present in the liquids used in certain localities, it is necessary to clean each spray device individually by manually loosening the heads of the devices. This requires that a service man have access to the roof area in order that he may reach and clean each spray device individually.

It is an object of my present invention to provide an improved spray device for roof cooling which may beefi'ectively and periodically cleaned by a self -flushing action.

It is another object of the invention to provide a spray device which provides a desired spray of moisture for roof cooling when supplied with a liquid under normal pressure, and which has a self-flushing action when temporarily supplied with a liquid at pressures somewhat higher than normal spraying pressures.

It is another object of this invention to provide a spray device adapted to project both a long range spray and a short range spray and adapted to subject all of its spray orifices to a self-flushing action upon the temporary application of high pressure.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a spray device having jet openings disposed to produce a spray only over an area of desired shape and size and adapted to resume said shaped spray automatically after said openings have been temporarily expanded during a. selfflushing action.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a self-flushing spray device having two sets of jet openings and having means to assure the expansion of both sets Of openings during the flushing operation.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in 2 the art from the following description of a, preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevation view of a spray device embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is an elevation view in section of the spray device shown in Figure 1 withthe jets arranged for normal spray operation.

Figure 3 is an elevation view in section of the spray device shown in Figure 1 expanded during the flushing operation.

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 55 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is an elevational view of the bafiie member removed from the spray device of Figures 1-3.

Figure 7 is a plan view, partly diagrammatic, of a portion of a roof provided with a plurality of spray devices.

Referring now to Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings, for the purposes of illustration, the body member of a preferred fonm of spray device is designated by the numeral I I]. The spray device may be fabricated from brass or other non-corrosible materials. The hollow cylindrical body I I! is provided with threads I! for attachment to a supply pipe and may be provided with flats [2 to receive a wrench. The upper end of the member Hi is provided with a flange or lip It having radial grooves or notches [5 formed therein to produce spray orifices, as shown, for example, in Figure 5. A cylindrical bafile core or member I6 is loosely positioned in the upper bore of the member IE], and is provided with a flange ll extending outwardly over the lip I4 and over the grooves [5. The depending skirt l8 ofbaiile member I6 is provided with apertures or ports l9 to pass liquid from the central bore of member in to the orifice grooves E5 in lip 14. The upper portion of flange I! is provided with a rounded lip 20 having a series of radial grooves or notches 25 formed therein to produce a second series of spray orifices, as-shovvn for example, in Figure 4. A head 22 is provided with a depending stem 23 which extends downward within the central portion of body member It and passes loosely through an opening in the spider 24, the latter being positioned within and carried by the member [0. The spider '24 may be of crossshape, formed, for example, from a disc with peripheral notches out therein, to permit'liquid to pass through the spider. The spider 24 may be a separate piece brazed to the member ID or may be seated against an internal shoulder in the bore of member Ill by a press fit. The lower end of stem 23 is provided with a compression spring 25 surrounding the stem 23 and extending from the underside of spider 24 to an adjusting nut 26 threaded on the lower end of stem 23.

The stem 23 is provided with a transverse pin 36 extending therethrough by press fit and adapted to engage the lower edge of skirt l8 of baffle member 16 when the stem 23 and head 22 are raised from the normal position shown in Figure 2 to the expanded o flushing position shown in Figure 3.

Where the spray device is to be used to spray liquid in a given area only, such as through a horizontal angle of ninety degrees as shownin Figures 4 and 5, the skirt iii of bafile member [5 may be provided with a slot or notch 3| for engagement with a pin 32 projecting inward from and carried by the body member ID as shown in Figure 2. Engagement of the pin 32 with the slot'Si prevents the bafiie member I6 from turning in the-body member ID, and, therefore, assures that the outlet orifice grooves 2| are kept directed in the direction of the specific area to be spray moistened.

During normal operation of the spray device, the baiiie member. flange I! is in contact with the notched lip M of member I0, and the frustoconical under side of head 22 is in contact with the notched lip 20 of bafile member IS. The notches or grooves H5 in lip Id maybe shaped and directed to project a spray in an area relatively close to the spray device, and the notches or grooves 2| in lip 2i? of the bafiie member I6 may be shaped and directedto project a spray to an area radially outward of the area covered by grooves 15, as shown in my prior patent. The compression of spring 25, tending to hold the mentioned parts in contact with one another, may be adjusted by tightening the nut 26. The compression force of spring 25 should be such that the pressure of the liquid supply utilized for normal spraying operations will be insuflicient to lift the head 22 from contact with the lip 20 of the baiile member l6.

When some or all of the notches i5 or 2| have become clogged by virtue of impurities carried in the water supply in certain localities, the spray device may be quickly and automatically flushed by the application of a temporary sudden increase in pressure to the supply lines to the spray devices. The increase in pressure should be enough to cause the head 22 to move outward from the body member by compressing the spring 25. As the head moves upward from the lip 20 of bafiie member IS, a strong flow of liquid will quickly flush impurities from the grooves 2|. Further upward movement of the head 22 will cause the pin 30 carried by the stem 23 to engage the lower edge of the skirt I8 of the bafile member I6, thereby positively raising the flange I! from the notched lip M of body member I0, so that a strong flow of liquid may flush impurities from the grooves 15. When the flushing action is completed and the liquid supply pressure is reduced to normal pressure, the spring 25 causes the head 22 and bafile membe IE to return from the expanded position shown in Figure 3 to the normal position shown in Figure 2. Thereafter the spray cooling operation is continued at normal pressures until it is again desired to flush the spray device by a temporary application of an increased pressure.

six spray devices 33, spaced on the roof 34 so that the sprays therefrom overlap each other, are connected to a supply line 35 provided with a control valve 36. The valve 36 may be an automatic valve controlled by roof temperature responsive mechanisms, such as disclosed in my prior patent referred to. A high pressure line 31 is connected to the supply line 35 and may be provided with a shut-ofi valve 38. The normal supply line pressure may be of the order of thirty pounds per square inch. The high pressure fluid applied temporarily through line 31 for flushing the spray devices may be of the order of one hundred pounds per square inch. The high pressure may be compressed air or any other available source of high pressure. In the flushing operation, the high pressureneed only be applied momentarily to build up the water pressure in the system enough to flush each of the spray devices connected in the system with the water already in the supply lines. Where compressed air is used as a source of high pressure, the high pressure need not be applied longenough for air to enter the supply lines or fiow out through the spray devices. As soon asthe .momentary application of high pressure is completed, the system returns to normal operation and the spray jets resume the normal operating position shown in Figure 2.

It will be readily apparent that the herein described spray devices provide for easy cleaning and flushing without requiring individual attention by a service man. The flushing operation may be effected at the ground level b any suit able arrangement of supply conduits to introduce a sudden shot of high pressure to the supply line 35 running to the spray devices on the roof. spray devices are designed to automatically return to the normal .operation of projecting a close-in and a distant spray of liquid to the various areas each is designed to cover. The pin and slot connection between the body member and the baflle member prevents the latter from turning during the flushing operation and assures that the distant spray will be directed to the.

proper area when normal sprayingoperation is resumed.

Changes may be made .in the form of con-.

struction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention and Without sacrificing any of its advantages, the foregoing preferred embodiment having been disclosed merely for illustrative purposes to enable one skilled in the art to readily comprehend the nature of the invention. The right is, therefore, reserved to make all such changes and variations as fairly fall within the scope of the following claims.

The invention claimed is as follows:

1. A spray device for supplying a spray of moisture over a surface to be cooled comprising in combination, a hollow body member, said body member having an upstanding notched lip, a hollow baffle member having a flange for engaging said lip of said body member and also having an upstanding notched lip, a head having a stem extending through said bafiie member into said body member and having a flange for engaging said lip of said baffle member, a spring extending between said body member and said stem for normally holding said flanges against said notched lips, and projecting means carried by said stem engageable with said baflle member.

2. A spray device for supplying a spray of moisture over a surface to be cooled comprising In the partial system illustrated in Figure '7, l in Combination, a tubular body member, said The body member having an upstanding annular lip with radial notches in a portion thereof, a tubular baflie member having an annular flange engageable with the lip of said body member and also having an upstanding annular lip with radial notches in a portion thereof, a head having a depending stem extending through said bafile member into said body member and having a frusto-conical flange engageable with said lip of said bafiie member, pin means extending between said body member and said baffle member to limit rotary movement of said baflie member with respect to said body member, and resilient means extending between said stem and said body member for biasing said head toward said body member.

3. A spray device for supplying a spray of moisture over a surface to be cooled comprising in combination, a tubular body member having an upstanding lip with radial notches therein, a tubular baifie member having a flange engageable with the lip of said body member and also having an upstanding lip with radial notches therein, a head having a stem extending through said baffle member into said body member and having a flange engageable with the lip of said bafile member, a spider-like member secured within the inner portion of said body member, a spring extending between said spider-like member and said stem, and projecting means carried by said stem engageable with said bafiie member to lift the latter from the lip of said body member.

LEONARD H. HOLDER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

